Craig Revel Horwood has shared his first thoughts on this year's Strictly Come Dancing contestants with Digital Spy.

Speaking to DS to mark the launch of his new book Tales from the Dance Floor, the Strictly judge named his early favorites for the Mirror Ball Trophy and said that Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers surprised him for "all the wrong reasons".

Revel Horwood said that the standard of this year's Strictly contestants is 'very good', naming Coronation Street star Natalie Gumede and model Abbey Clancy as top contenders.

"The people that stand out in my mind [are] of course, Natalie, I think she did a very good Latin dance on the weekend... I think Abbey surprised me the most because she hasn't had any training, and then it's just amazing that she did that. But you've got to remember that she's being led by a professional partner.

"He was just throwing anything that he could... I suppose people at home will find [it] very amusing - which is fine - but of course I've got to judge it from a professional perspective."

When asked if Vanessa Feltz could be carried through the competition on the public vote alone due to her high profile, Revel Horwood said that "[it's] up to the public to make informed choices" when voting.

He also compared Feltz to Ann Widdecombe, who had a relatively successful stint on the show in 2010 despite a lack of dancing skills.

Craig Revel Horwood: Tales from the Dance Floor is out now.

'Strictly Come Dancing': Saturday's live show in pictures:

Next
Tess and Bruce dance their way into another show.
Copyright: BBC
1 of 10